The Endless Days of Summer
by mikotyzini
Summary: Childhood for Yang and Ruby was filled with love and laughter...tears and tragedy. This collection of short stories provides glimpses at what life was like for Yang and Ruby before they came to Beacon - filled with the moments which helped shape them into the huntresses they were to become.
1. Misunderstanding

**The first entry! So I was given a ton of single word prompts or phrases and decided to write them all about Yang/Ruby and their relationship both with their mother (Summer Rose) and how they grew up after she was gone. This will be a collection of different stories, some happy, some sad, from all different time periods of their childhood. It will all be pre-Beacon though, so no Weiss or Blake (unfortunately). And for some reason, these make me reallyyyy emotional to write, but I hope that other people can enjoy a peak into what childhood was like for our favorite two sisters.**

**The titles of the chapters are my prompts, so you can see what I drew my inspiration from.**

**Please read/review if you'd like to see more Yang/Ruby childhood tears and shenanigans!**

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><p>"Leave me alone!"<p>

The boys only snickered at her, circling like sharks sensing blood in the water. They knew they had her just where they wanted her – alone at the edge of the parking lot they played on during recess.

"What's the matter _Little Rose_? Can't do anything without the teachers here to look out for you?"

Ruby frowned at the speaker, clearly the leader of this little band of bullies. She had never realized that she had done anything to make him mad at her…

"Just leave me alone," she repeated, trying to keep her voice steady even as her eyes filled with tears. She took a deep breath, reminding herself of all the things Yang had told her.

_'Don't panic, don't try to run, don't call for help – That will only make it worse. Stay calm, use your head, and wait for me to get there.'_

"Why should we leave you alone?" the leader spoke out, stepping closer so that he could put his face inches from her own. "I thought we were having _fun_."

"Hey Redd, maybe we should leave her alone," a second boy piped in as he stepped forward and gave Ruby a small shove on the shoulder. "I mean…her own mom left her, so she should be pretty used to being alone by now."

He grinned widely as his two friends laughed at his joke.

"Yeah, you're right, her own _mom_ couldn't stand sticking around," the third boy added as the three of them snickered.

Ruby looked down at her shoes, scuffed and well-worn. A tiny dark spot appeared on the tip of her right foot as a single tear fell from her eye.

"Excuse me?"

She looked up to find the boys' attention now directed behind her. Her heart began beating faster as she immediately recognized the voice.

"He said that her own mom didn't want her," Redd replied with a sneer, still pleased with his crony's witty remark.

Ruby turned around slowly, eyes finding her older sister standing directly behind her, arms crossed over her chest.

The blonde was only two grades higher than Ruby, but at their age two years made a very significant difference. It meant that Yang had learned some control over her semblance, she had been taught more advanced fighting techniques, and she was just _bigger_ than the four of them.

Yang nodded her head in understanding as she cracked her knuckles, now alive with flames.

"That's what I thought you said. Unfortunate too…Ruby, please stand back."

She did as her older sister instructed and stepped off to the side, where she watched as Yang turned the three bullies into crying, sniveling babies in a matter of minutes.

With the three boys running off to tell the nearest adult what had happened, Yang walked over and knelt down in front of her. A smile revealed the blonde's newly split lip, while a scratch above her eye looked to be on the verge of bleeding. Other than that, the brawler was none the worse for wear.

"Hey, sis," Yang said softly as she grabbed ahold of both of Ruby's hands.

The warmth of Yang's bigger hands instantly removed any fear or sadness Ruby had felt instants earlier. She had learned long ago that this feeling meant she was safe.

"Are you ok?" Yang asked, lilac eyes searching within silver.

Ruby nodded her head slowly, managing a small smile as her mood began to lift.

"Good!" Yang replied with her own smile as she stood up.

"Now…let's head to the principal's office, shall we?"

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><p>Uncle Qrow arrived half an hour later to take them home for the day, finding them both seated in the chairs located outside the principal's office. They both tried to overhear the brief conversation he had in the office, to no avail. Minutes later, he had motioned for them to follow him, not uttering a single word as they left their school behind.<p>

Ruby was in much better spirits now that she got out of school a half day early. The young brunette was skipping down the sidewalk, trying to hop from crack to crack without missing a step.

Uncle Qrow and Yang followed a few paces behind, walking side-by-side as they continued their trek home.

"Another misunderstanding?" he asked lowly so that Ruby would not overhear them.

"Yup."

Yang's answer was uncharacteristically blunt, but, then again, this was not the first time they had taken this walk home together.

"And what was it this time?" he pressed his oldest niece, trying to get her to open up to him, to trust him.

But Yang refused to look at him, keeping her eyes steadfastly trained upon her little sister.

"They misunderstood how I feel about people picking on my sister," Yang responded, voice thinly concealing a wave of anger.

Uncle Qrow sighed as he placed one arm around Yang's shoulder, pulling the tiny girl gently into his side as his suspicions were confirmed.

"One day…you'll realize that she doesn't need you to protect her all the time," he said, his own eyes watching the happy little brunette bounding back and forth in front of them.

"She is much stronger than you know."


	2. Pilot

**This story was originally supposed to lead off another collection of one shots I'll be doing...but it fits into this so much better, so I'm going to borrow it and stick it here :)**

**Also, by the way, all credit for the idea of more Summer Rose/Yang/Ruby stories goes to Mr. Blender, who is always giving me such good ideas! Check out his stories, if you have time.**

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><p>"Ok, Ruby, are you ready to go find and kill some enemies?" Yang asked, turning to her right to find her co-pilot, lead gunner, and little sister nod her head in excitement.<p>

"Alright then, prepare for takeoff!"

She pressed at the controls in front of her, hearing the clicks and snaps begin sounding as the engines of their ship whirred to life. She could hear every sound around her with exceptional accuracy from the pilot's seat in the open cockpit ship. Why they had made these speeders with open tops, she would never know, but she did especially enjoy the feeling of the wind whipping through her hair when they raced through the clouds.

"All systems go?" she asked as the screen gave her the green light for takeoff.

Ruby gave her a thumbs up.

"All systems go!"

Yang grabbed the steering wheel and pulled it in her direction, pushing the ship forward. They leaned backwards slightly as the nose of their ship turned upwards and climbed higher into the sky.

Ruby giggled in enjoyment at their ascent, which lasted for just a few seconds before Yang leveled their vessel out.

"Ok, we've reached altitude – now set coordinates to the last known enemy location!" she ordered her co-pilot.

The brunette leaned forward and typed something quickly into the dash, lighting up the way for Yang to follow. After speeding in the right direction for what felt only like several seconds, they had reached their destination.

"Do you see them anywhere?" Yang asked as they looked around themselves in 360 degrees, eyes scanning for any sign of an enemy ship. Ruby shook her head slowly before suddenly pointing out directly in front of them.

Yang whipped her eyes in the direction Ruby pointed in, squinting as she tried to spot whatever Ruby had seen.

And there it was…a lone ship, off in the distance.

"Enemy airship up ahead!" Yang yelled as she began punching more buttons in the computer, preparing them for combat. "A straggler, too. We're lucky today. Gunner! Prepare missiles!"

Following Yang's orders, Ruby quickly set about preparing the guns for battle. The noises of large rockets being loaded into their proper guns could be heard from outside the ship.

"Missiles ready!" Ruby chirped after not too long.

"Alright, wait until we're closer, then shoot," Yang instructed as she steered them towards the enemy.

"Ready…aim…FIRE!"

Several missiles whooshed out of their guns and sped off towards the unsuspecting ship. Yang and Ruby watched in silent anticipation as their projectiles approached the target.

They both cheered as the ship exploded into a ball of flame.

"Direct hit! Nice shootin', Ruby!" Yang exclaimed, giving her little sister a high five while Ruby beamed with pride.

"Oh no!" Yang shouted as she turned back towards the front of the ship and found enemy ships swarming all around them. "It was a trap! They've got us boxed in!"

Ruby's eyes widened. The brunette began hastily jabbing at her weaponry while Yang frantically tried to steer them out of danger.

"Time to take evasive actions, hold on Ruby!"

Yang pulled hard to the right. Ruby screamed as their ship tilted sharply and she lost her footing, tumbling overboard. She grasped the ledge of the cockpit at the last second, hanging on only by her fingertips as her legs dangled below her.

"Yang, help me!" she cried out in terror.

"Hold on, Ruby!" Yang yelled as she tried to straighten out the ship. "Computer! Warp us home!" she yelled as she unbuckled her seatbelt and rushed to her sister's aid. She grasped Ruby's hands and dragged her back aboard just as their ship's warp drive kicked in, propelling them out of harm's way.

Both of them remained collapsed on the floor for a few seconds.

"I told you to always wear your seatbelt, Ruby!" Yang finally chastised the girl, who looked away in shame.

"I know…I'm sorry, I forgot," Ruby replied sadly, causing Yang to sigh.

"Well, that was a close one, Ruby," she remarked. Ruby nodded her head in agreement.

Just then, alarms began blaring around them. Yang quickly popped up and looked at the dash, letting out a loud groan when she realized what was wrong.

"Our right engine was hit!" she exclaimed as the ship let out a foreboding shudder beneath them.

"We're going down!"

She grasped the controls as the ship began to shake violently, trying to regain as much control as she could.

"T-th-is…i-s…go-onna…b-b-be…bu-mpyyy!" she yelled, voice bouncing along with the rattle of the ship.

This time, Ruby prepared herself, holding onto her seat tightly as the tip of their ship began angling down towards the ground. The ship continued jolting as the ground began hurtling towards them.

"Brace for impact!" Yang yelled at the last second, letting go of the controls and ducking her head just as Ruby did the same.

The next few instants were a jumble of arms and legs as the two girls tumbled out of the ship and onto the ground. Yang kept her eyes squeezed shut until she found she had slid to a stop, with Ruby laying practically on top of her.

The sound of muffled laughter broke through the silence, causing Yang to open one eye a fraction of an inch in confusion.

In the doorway directly in front of her, grocery bags still in hand, stood her mother and father. Summer Rose was trying to stifle her laughter with one hand covering her mouth as their father began opening laughing at his two girls, the big, throaty laugh Yang was used to hearing so often. Uncle Qrow also started chuckling from behind them as he sat up from his position laying on the floor.

Yang began giggling as Ruby popped off the ground and ran over to hug her mom's legs.

"Did you lose them?" her dad asked with a smile.

"Yup! Sure did!" Yang responded proudly as she stood and righted the cardboard box they had just toppled out of.

Her mom raised one eyebrow in surprise at Yang's response.

"Are you sure none of them followed you?" she pressed.

Ruby took a single step backwards and nodded her head along with Yang.

"Then…that's not an enemy right there?" their mom yelled as she pointed across the room.

They spun their necks in the direction she had pointed, finding that she had already sped to that side of the room and was now advancing menacingly upon them, hands raised as she prepared to grab ahold of them.

Ruby and Yang both shrieked in unison as they scrambled back into their ship. Uncle Qrow grabbed the box when Yang shouted that they were ready for takeoff, laying back down on the floor as he held them up in the air above his head.

Their parents raced around them as Yang piloted their ship and Ruby fired invisible missiles wildly in all directions. The adults could hardly stop laughing as the two girls called out orders to each other in frantic voices, fighting against their enemies with all the skill they were capable of.

After several minutes of ferocious battle, Yang and Ruby ended up striking a truce with the enemy, who turned out not to be so evil, after all.


	3. Never

**And the prompt for this short...Never. **

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><p>This mission had…not exactly gone according to plan. It was supposed to have been an 'easy' assignment – go to the target location, clear out a gathering of deadly Grimm, head home before the moon had even fully risen in the night sky.<p>

But now, she found herself completed surrounded and alone - her fellow huntsmen having abandoned the mission long ago. That was the problem with contract huntsmen…most would run away as soon as things became more difficult than the job description had indicated.

The end result was that she had fought onward alone and now found herself hemmed in on all sides by a foe much more dangerous than mere Grimm…

Humans.

In all of her years of battle, she had always imagined that it would be a giant Grimm that would take her life, not a group of people she had sworn to protect.

"So, are you ready to surrender now?" the wicked figure standing in front of her asked, demon eyes peering out towards her from underneath a devilish mask.

Her thoughts were instantly drawn to a warm place miles away, where her two precious girls were undoubtedly waiting for her to come home.

Yang was growing up to be more and more like her own mother every day – warm and sunny, with a fiercely loyal and protective nature. And Ruby…her own little girl…was becoming talented in ways Summer had never even dreamed were possible. The two girls together had formed a bond so strong, she doubted anything in this harsh world would ever be able to break it.

They were…her life. They were the reason she kept fighting; the reason why she didn't run with the others. If she gave up now, nothing stood in between this army and her own home – where her children would be sleeping, tucked into their beds.

So, was she ready to give up? To allow the most treasured people in her life be put in harm's way?

She held her sword tightly down at her side, the weapon humming as raw energy electrified its form.

The thought of Yang or Ruby being injured by these malicious people filled her with rage – supercharging her already blazing aura. She could feel electricity coursing through her body, heightening her senses and unleashing her true power.

Would she allow a single one of these enemies to set foot within miles of her daughters?

Would she ever stop fighting to keep those two beautiful girls safe in an increasingly dangerous world?

Would she ever give up hope that Yang and Ruby would never need to follow in her footsteps?

The thoughts brought a scowl to her lips as she growled her response.

"Never."

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><p>Dragging herself up to the front door, she leaned heavily against it as she tried to find the key she always kept hidden in one of her pockets. Finding it, she fished it out only to have her shaking hands drop it onto the ground with a silence shattering clang. She cursed under her breath as she slowly bent down to grab the item; there went any chance of a stealthy entrance.<p>

The door opened as she straightened back up, revealing a very relieved looking Taiyang – that was, until he took in her appearance.

"Summer!" he cried out, reaching out with both arms to help her shuffle into their home. "What happened?"

"It turned out to be more...complicated…than it was supposed to be," she said, gritting her teeth in pain as he helped her sit down on a chair in the kitchen so that he could begin bandaging her more serious injuries.

The man let the subject drop, having learned by now that she would give him all the details in good time.

"We should really take you to a hospital," he concluded after wrapping up most of her major wounds. "You're going to need stitches to help your aura heal some of these more quickly…"

She nodded her head in agreement. She had figured as much on her way home, but…

"Are the girls asleep?" she asked quietly.

Taiyang nodded in response.

"They wanted to wait up for you, but I told them that your mission had been extended to tomorrow morning."

She placed one hand on top of his own as an expression of gratitude for the lie. Having Yang and Ruby worrying about her would have made the entire night even worse.

"I just want to see them, then we can go," she replied as she pressed both hands firmly down on the countertop to force herself to her feet. He insisted on helping her climb the stairs to the girls' bedroom, but let her go inside under her own power.

Pressing the door open silently, she finally let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

There they were - both girls were each sleeping in their own beds, safe and sound.

She limped slowly over to the side of Ruby's bed, leaning down and lightly brushing strands of brunette hair out of the girl's eyes. Trying not to let out any noises in pain, she bent all the way over and placed a soft kiss on Ruby's forehead.

Straightening up, she turned to Yang's bed next. As she placed another kiss on the blonde's forehead, Yang's eyes fluttered open groggily.

"Mom?" the little girl asked, blinking as she fought to keep her eyes open.

"Shhh…" Summer whispered in return. "Don't wake your sister."

Yang nodded in understanding before reaching both arms up and wrapping them around her mom's neck, pulling the injured woman down into a warm hug. Summer couldn't help letting out a soft grunt of pain at the gesture – for a child as young as Yang was, she had an awfully strong grip.

Once she had been released, Summer stood up with a smile.

"I'll see you in the morning," she whispered as she backed towards the door, trying to hide her limp as Yang's lilac eyes followed her out.

Closing the bedroom door behind her, she collapsed against it as her many injuries finally began to take their toll. Taiyang wrapped a strong arm around her waist and half-walked, half-carried her down the stairs and back out the front door.

In her life, which had become so filled with turmoil in the past few years, she could only sure about one thing: her love for her two daughters.

It would never cease, never falter, never end.


	4. Once Upon a Time

"Sit down, Uncle Qrow! Right here!" Ruby dragged her uncle by his hand and pointed towards his designated seat on the sofa.

"Dad, you sit here," Yang instructed, gesturing towards the other side of the piece of furniture.

Both girls hopped up and down impatiently as they waited for the two men to take their seats in the living room. As soon as they were seated, they raced from the room.

Qrow looked towards Summer curiously, finding the huntress seated comfortably on a chair opposite of them.

"What all the fuss about?" he asked.

Summer laughed, the musical sound filling the room.

"You'll see in just a few minutes, Qrow; please be patient for once in your life," she jokingly chastised her old teammate. "They've been working on this all afternoon."

Moments later, the girls reappeared, racing back in front of their guests. Yang and Ruby were now donning their latest accessories – homemade armor crafted out of pieces of cardboard, hastily colored with crayons. Each girl was outfitted with shoulder guards, shin guards, and a chest plate, while carrying rather jagged swords and shields.

Ruby's outfit was predominantly red, and outrageously too big for her. The shield in particular was nearly as tall as she was. In contrast, Yang had decided upon the color yellow. Her armor, while identical to Ruby's, looked to be much more reasonably sized.

Taking their positions in front of their father and uncle, the two girls stood at attention, each with their cardboard swords resting point down into the ground. They both turned expectantly towards their mother.

"Oh, right," Summer snapped back to attention, having been staring lovingly at her two daughters in their newest creations. She picked up several pieces of paper from the table beside her, holding them at eye level in order to begin reading the big, sloppy handwriting out loud.

"Once upon a time, there were two world famous huntresses named Yan – I mean, Marigold and Scarlet."

"Mommmm…" Ruby whined while Taiyang and Qrow laughed.

Summer held her hands up, saying "Sorry, sorry," before she continued.

"Together, the two sisters conquered the 'most fiercest' of Grimm that came their way."

After this phrase, Summer nudged the tiny puppy resting by her feet. Zwei looked at Summer for a few seconds before he stood and walked over to Ruby and Yang. Reaching the two girls, he sat down in front of them and barked once as his tail wagged happily behind him.

"Oh no Ru – Scarlet!" Yang shouted melodramatically as she raised her sword in front of her. "It's the most dangerous Grimm ever encountered!"

"The Zweimonster!" Ruby cried out in fear, drawing her own sword and leveling it towards their pet.

Zwei laid down on the ground, panting as he gazed up at the two girls.

"No, Zwei, you need to stand up," Ruby whispered, poking the dog lightly with her sword to prod him back to his feet.

Now that the two girls held their swords in Zwei's direction, and the dog was standing up, they looked back to their mom. Noticing their gaze, Summer hastily pulled the papers up to her face.

"The two huntresses even had to fight the awful Zweimonster – the most evil Grimm to have ever walked the planet. But would they succeed where many others had not…?" she finished dramatically, placing the papers down in her lap as she turned her full attention back to her daughters.

"We can do this, Yang – I mean Marigold! We just have to work together!" Ruby shouted as she slowly sidestepped to the right in order to approach Zwei from his side. Yang mirrored her sister's actions, moving to the left until they were on opposite sides of the unsuspecting creature.

The happy puppy looked in both directions before sitting down on his haunches, unsure of what exactly they expected him to do.

"Charge!" Yang called out unsuspectedly.

She and Ruby both rushed towards the dog at the same moment. Zwei remained still as a statue while he watched the girls converge on him – not even flinching when they both delicately poked their swords into his sides.

Everyone stared at the dog waiting for a reaction. After a few seconds, Yang finally whispered, "Zwei! Roll over."

The puppy immediately rolled over onto his back, tiny legs sticking up in the air as if he had just been slain.

"Good job, Ruby!" Yang said, ignoring the brunette's glare as she ran over to give her little sister a high five. "With the Zweimonster killed, Vale will be safe once more!"

The adults in the room applauded when the young girls took a deep bow. A reincarnated Zwei began racing around the living room furniture, drawing the girls instantly into a game of 'chase the dog.'

Summer moved over to Qrow and Taiyang as they continued laughing at the girl's antics.

"So…_that_ took them all afternoon?" Qrow teased once his laughter had subsided.

Taiyang's laughter only doubled when Summer's backhanded slap to Qrow's shoulder nearly sent the man crashing into the other room.


	5. Moon

**As always...I hope that people are enjoying these little one shots! I really like writing them, if only to give some more background to these two sisters. This one was based off the prompt 'moon.'**

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><p>Ruby lay flat on her back, both hands tucked behind her head as she stared up through tree branches at Remnant's giant shattered moon. It filled the night sky above her, lending a silver glow to everything it laid its gaze upon. The chilled night air blew through the leaves, causing a gentle rustle to fill the otherwise silent darkness. The unyielding wood slabs of her 'treehouse' pressed into her shoulders, but she had grown accustomed to the feeling long ago.<p>

It wasn't much of a treehouse…more of a flat platform built out of several pieces of mismatched wood nailed together and fastened into the big tree in their backyard. Her father had made it for her and Yang many years ago, back when things had been…different.

She knew that it was past her bedtime, but she was in no hurry to leave her spot outside under the moon. Yang wasn't home yet and Uncle Qrow wouldn't notice she wasn't inside sleeping for another hour or so.

God bless his soul, but poor Uncle Qrow just wasn't quite cut out for parenting two young girls when their father was away. He loved them and took care of them as best he could, but Yang was much more of a parental figure for her than he was. Uncle Qrow was…well, he was the fun uncle that hardly ever raised his voice. Still…he had been there for all of them when their mother had passed away and, for that, Ruby would forever be grateful.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as the cold breeze blew a strand of short brunette hair across her forehead. She shivered slightly as she brushed the hair back into place with the back of one hand.

She could still remember one day, years ago, when she and Yang had laid up here for hours together. Ruby had been inconsolable at the time, crying for her mom and refusing to come down even after the sun had disappeared from the sky. Yang had climbed up here to keep Ruby company, if only by providing a blanket of warmth to keep the cold night air at bay.

That's the night Yang told her the story of huntsmen and the moon.

Yang had told Ruby to look up at the moon and, as she had done what her sister directed, Yang had explained to her, in wisdom far beyond her young years, that huntsmen could never truly die. No…the souls of huntsmen were far too strong to be broken or destroyed in battle…while their bodies may be defeated, their souls continued to live on.

These souls became another small, shattered fragment of the moon.

_So you don't have to feel sad or lonely, Ruby…_Yang had said, _because Mom's right up there, watching over us._

Ruby had stopped crying as she stared up at the shards Yang was pointing to. She had suddenly felt much less…alone and afraid. If her mom was up there, she would be able to see Ruby right now…and Ruby didn't want her mom to see her crying…

She had picked out the shard of moon that was most likely her mother: a small sliver that looked quick, yet beautifully bright and white. They had spent the rest of the night laying out there, staring up at that one tiny piece of moon, until Ruby had eventually fallen asleep and been carried inside by her father.

Ever since that night, Ruby had been coming up to the treehouse regularly to gaze at the moon. For as often as her mom watched over her, Ruby wanted to be sure that sometimes she spent time with her mom in return.

Noises nearby suddenly caught her attention. She quickly picked out Yang's voice calling out goodnight to her friends as the blonde finally arrived home for the evening. Yang was laughing about something – in good spirits and having a good time as usual.

Ruby didn't move a muscle to greet the girl, knowing that she was hidden in her spot amongst the leaves and branches. She would wait for Yang to go inside and then slip in after her sister.

"Ruby?" Yang whispered several seconds later, causing Ruby's eyes to open wide in surprise.

How had she always know when Ruby was up here?

"Yeah," she called back softly, finding no point in remaining silent.

The next few seconds were filled with the sounds of her sister clambering up the tree. Once Yang had made it to the platform, Ruby scooted over slightly to make room for her older sister to lay down beside her.

The chill of the night air disappeared as soon as Yang arrived, just as darkness vanishes when the sun rises. Tendrils of warmth began working themselves into Ruby's cold muscles, relaxing and comforting her every fiber. Yang's aura had had this calming effect on her for as long as she could remember; something about the warmth made her feel…safe and loved.

"It's late," Yang stated.

"I know," Ruby responded just as briefly. She knew that Yang wasn't mad at her; her older sister was just pointing out that maybe Ruby should have been in bed already. While Yang might point out mistakes and give advice, she always trusted Ruby to make her own decisions.

They lay in silence for the next few minutes, staring up at the moon together.

"I miss her," Ruby finally said, voice breaking as her emotions flowed through. Hot tears stung at her eyes, but she didn't dare raise a hand to wipe them away for fear of drawing Yang's attention to the fact that she was crying.

Her sister let out a big sigh.

"I know…I do too."

With her words, Yang gently grabbed ahold of one of Ruby's hands, warmth continuing to spread through the brunette's body as they sank into an unhappy silence.

"Hey…" Yang said, breaking the silence first. "Do you remember that time you were convinced you could fly?"

A smile threatened to curl Ruby's lips upward, remembering the moment Yang was referring to.

"You were _so_ sure of yourself. Mom told you that if you could fly, then you should go up to the roof and just fly," Yang continued, letting out a small giggle as she thought about what had transpired next.

Ruby couldn't help but to laugh along with her sister.

"So I went up to the roof to prove everyone wrong," she replied, causing Yang to burst into more laughter.

"Y-you could barely even _walk_! I don't know how you thought that you could f-fly!" Yang said, holding her stomach as peals of laughter continued to slip out.

Ruby distinctly remembered standing on the edge of the roof while her parents and Yang gathered on the grass below. Her mother had looked up at her with such an expression of pride, nodding her head in encouragement of her youngest daughter's bravery.

And Ruby hadn't been scared, as she probably ought to have been. No, she was positive that she could fly and she was determined to prove them all wrong.

So she had jumped.

And…she flew.

She flew faster than fast. She was a missile cutting through the air. She made birds and airships look like they were stuck in tar. She was lifted higher and higher with each passing moment. Their neighborhood gave way to the forest in seconds, the trees soaring below her as air blew into her face.

She had felt so…happy and free – feelings that didn't diminish even when she had looked up and found her mother clutching the back of her shirt tightly in one hand, the other expertly guiding them forward by blasts of her weapon.

She distinctly remembered thinking at that moment, '_I have the best mom ever.'_

When they had returned home several minutes later, Ruby had stuck her tongue out at her sister, saying 'told ya so.' Yang hadn't cared about that though; she just wanted to go next.

"How many times did she take us flying like that?" Ruby asked while Yang's laughter faded away.

"God, I don't know…too many to count," Yang replied fondly. "She wasn't afraid at all of not being able to catch us when we jumped."

Ruby shook her head slightly in disagreement with her sister's words.

"No…I think she was probably terrified every time…but she knew she couldn't keep us from doing it."

Contentment returned to them as they replayed the happy memory in their minds, finding a deeper meaning to the love their mother had held for both of them.

A few moments later, Yang patted Ruby's knee lightly as she pulled herself into a seated position.

"We should head in for bed," she said softly, much more of a suggestion than an order, before she hopped off the platform to the ground below.

Hearing her sister land with a soft thump, Ruby looked up at the moon one last time with a small smile.

She hoped that one day when she was a real huntress, she would be able to fly again. Just like they had done together.

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><p>Yang smiled from the door to the kitchen when her little sister finally jumped down from her perch.<p>

She had found Ruby up in that treehouse so many times now, she had made it a habit to call out Ruby's name every time she walked by, just to see if the girl was up there. It had worked a surprising number of times so far – a fact which Yang was unhappy to have uncovered.

She patiently held the back door open for her little sister to scamper through, making sure to ruffle the brunette's hair as she ran by - laughing at the pitiful 'Yangggg!' that ensued.

Moving to close the door, she took one moment to gaze up at the moon shining down on her. It took her no time at all to pick out the tiny sliver Ruby had long ago decided would represent Summer Rose. That piece always seemed to shine brighter than the rest, as if trying to make its presence known to her.

Yang had made up the story that huntsmen were immortalized in the shards of Remnant's moon. It was merely something she had said to make her little sister feel better – she knew that.

But on nights like these, when the moon was bright and they felt alone, it was easy to believe that Mom really was up there watching over them, keeping them safe…

Just as she had always done.


	6. Rest

**Kudos to Mr. Blender for the prompt! I hope that this came out moderately how you imagined it would be. To everyone else, I hope that this is enjoyable, as another little story between little Ruby, Yang, and Summer Rose. Taiyang even makes and appearance too! :)**

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><p>"This is <em>completely<em> unnecessary, Taiyang."

She frowned at the man standing in front of her, blocking her exit from their bedroom. All she wanted to do was get up and go about her day _as usual_, but he seemed to have other thoughts stuck in his head. Thoughts which he had better get rid of immediately.

Because she was _fine_. Completely fine.

She didn't need to rest. She didn't need a break. She didn't need to relax. She didn't need to 'take it easy.'

What she _really_ needed was to leave this room and get her day started.

Vale was in trouble – she could sense it from the urgency of the missions she had been receiving lately. She could feel it in the air when she set foot outside the gated confines of safety. And she certainly felt it in the injuries she had been dealt recently by the influx of enemies the huntsmen had been tasked with fighting.

But these wounds were nothing her aura couldn't patch up for her over the course of the day. By this evening, she would be good as new.

So _why_ her husband felt the need to try to confine her to the room was beyond her.

Taiyang crossed his arms over his chest, knowing a fight when he saw one.

"Just for a little bit while I'm over at the school today; that's _all_ I'm asking. _Please_, Summer, you need some rest. You've been taking far more punishment than you're willing to admit."

His eyes pleaded with her, begging her to relent, just this once.

But she was fine. She was a huntress, for crying out loud! Many of her fellow huntsmen had received injuries far greater than the large gashes and bruises she had acquired last night. And they weren't resting the next day. She might be a sore for a bit, but she wasn't broken.

Taiyang's heart was in the right place, but he was being far too overprotective.

As she opened her mouth to tell the man as much, the soft patter of four little feet caught their attention. Seconds later, two newly arisen little girls appeared behind Taiyang in the bedroom doorway.

The briefest of smirks crossed her husband's face before he turned and knelt down beside the new arrivals, a big smile filling his features.

"Good morning, angels!" he greeted joyfully, pulling both of them into a giant hug.

"Good morning!" Ruby and Yang responded groggily, Yang still rubbing bits of sleep from her eyes while her younger sister gave a big yawn.

Releasing them from their good morning hug, Taiyang held them both at arm's length while regarding them with a serious expression.

"Now girls, I have a _very_ important mission for you this morning."

Summer's heart dropped when she heard the words, knowing exactly what was going to come next.

"I need you to watch your mom while I'm gone – she needs to rest and is _not_ allowed to leave the room. Can I trust both of you help me with that?"

Ruby and Yang nodded their heads, instantly on high alert for their newest mission.

"We can do that!" Ruby replied happily, eyes sparkling with joy at having been entrusted with such an important task. Yang remained silent while she nodded her head, looking towards Summer with a touch of concern in her lilac eyes.

Meanwhile, Summer cursed Taiyang. She cursed him with every possible swear in the dictionary.

He _knew_ that their daughters were her single greatest weakness. She would rather be dropped blindfolded into the middle of a dozen raging Ursa than to disappoint her little girls. If she left the room while he was gone, the girls would consider themselves to have failed in their mission. And she refused to be the cause of their failure.

There was no way she would leave before he came home now.

When Taiyang dropped his arms, Ruby and Yang instantly ran to her. She carefully knelt down on the ground to wrap them in a hug, trying to avoid reopening any of the wounds that had been bandaged along her sides. After she kissed the tops of their heads, she threw a scowl over them towards her husband. He merely grinned back at her, content with having gotten his way this time.

"I'll be back in no time," Taiyang said, pulling a jacket on while moving towards the hallway. "I'm counting on you two."

Ruby gave him an adorable salute just when he disappeared from view, the sounds of footsteps clomping down the stairs and a door opening and closing moments later.

Once their father was gone, Ruby turned those big silver eyes upon her, begging for something exciting to do.

"You girls should probably get something to eat for breakfast," Summer suggested as she moved back to the bed to sit down. "Then we can do whatever you'd like."

Matching grins lit up their faces, bringing a small smile onto her own. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay in here with such lovely company.

"Ruby, you go get some food – I'll make sure she doesn't leave!" Yang ordered before jumping into the bed and snuggling up beside her.

The brunette nodded curtly, turned, and ran out of the room for the kitchen.

Summer sighed contentedly as her right side was warmed by her eldest daughter. The warmth really worked miracles on her sore muscles – just like taking a nice hot bath…Glancing down at Yang, she found those brilliant lilac eyes staring right back up at her.

"Are you ok, mom?" the blonde asked in a tiny voice, unable to conceal any of her worry.

Summer smiled before leaning over and giving Yang a light kiss on the forehead.

"I'm fine, sweetie," she replied reassuringly, hoping to dispel all of the little girl's concern.

Yang had been becoming more and more perceptive as of late, something which came as no surprise to her. After all, Yang's mother had been extremely sensitive when it had come to her teammates' feelings and wellbeing. Unfortunately for the young girl, it meant that she noticed a lot of pain that many people would overlook…and felt the responsibility to help them get better all on her own.

Thankfully, Yang believed her words this time, probably because Summer was so confident in them herself. Worry left her expression, allowing her to nestle closer to Summer's side.

Rapid footsteps on the staircase reached their ears moments later, marking Ruby's return. The younger girl rushed into the room and jumped onto the bed with her arms full of various food and utensils, somehow managing not to spill the contents everywhere when she hit the mattress with a slight bounce. Summer began laughing when she observed the items the brunette had brought upstairs.

A bag of miniature marshmallows, a whole gallon of milk, three chocolate bars, and an entire bunch of bananas. She had managed to carry three bowls and spoons with her, as well.

"How are you planning on eating that?" Summer asked while her two daughters set in on the food.

"Like this; watch!" Ruby replied happily.

The brunette picked up one of the bowls and filled it high with marshmallows. She then opened up one of the chocolate bars, broke it into several pieces, and sprinkled the bits overtop. The banana was apparently useless, since Ruby poured milk over her marshmallow/chocolate creation and began devouring it seconds later.

Yang seemed completely unperturbed by the odd breakfast and quickly followed in her sister's footsteps.

Summer laughed and grabbed a banana for herself, slowly eating it while she watched her daughters demolish an entire bag of marshmallows for breakfast.

"So, what do you girls want to do until your father gets back?" she asked when they were close to finished with their final bowls of 'cereal.'

"Hmm…well we have to stay in here…" Yang began thoughtfully before Ruby chipped in.

"Let's draw!" she suggested before both of them turned towards Summer for permission.

She waved her arm for them to go, causing both of them to shoot off the bed, empty bowls in hand.

"You won't leave, right?" Ruby asked nervously, standing by the door.

When Summer shook her head 'no,' the brunette smiled and raced from the room, her older sister hot on her trails.

The two returned moments later with their arms full of various art supplies. Yang was carrying multiple pads of paper, while Ruby had been tasked with carrying their box bursting with crayons, pencils, markers...any drawing utensil a child could possibly need, ever.

Entering the room at full speed, Yang launched herself practically from the doorway onto the bed, landing with a soft bounce before skillfully maneuvering herself back up to Summer's side. Never one to let her sister outdo her, Ruby followed Yang's lead, but didn't quite make the distance from the door to the bed. When the brunette's foot caught on the edge, she promptly fell forward, spilling the box of tools all over the covers while falling face first on top of them.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled, prepared to chastise her younger sister for making such a mess.

Summer held up a hand to quiet the girl, seeing the expression of shame growing on Ruby's face.

"It's ok, Ruby. We can clean this up real quick." As she spoke, Summer picked up the toppled box and began tossing loose crayons back inside. "See?"

The smile instantly returned to the young girl's face. Ruby nodded her head vigorously as she began scampering around the bed collecting runaway items and depositing them safely back into their container. Yang gave an exaggerated sigh, causing her to receive a small elbow in the side from Summer. Looking down at the blonde girl, Summer gave a slight shake of her head.

There was no need to make Ruby feel badly about something so innocent as tripping while trying to copy Yang. In fact, Summer had always encouraged Ruby to follow in her older sister's footsteps - Yang's influence pushed the young girl to be better and brighter. And the results could already be seen in the way Ruby was progressing much faster than anyone else her age.

Once all of the spilled items had been cleared up, Ruby happily sat herself down on Summer's other side, the box now resting safely in Summer's lap. Yang diligently passed out the notepads she had been holding - one for Ruby, one for Summer, and one for herself.

The three of them spent the next moments peacefully drawing upon the bed - the only noises being the scratches of pencils on paper and the jumble of art supplies when the girls would reach into the box for a different color.

Summer finished her own piece of art earlier than the young girls. While she was no artist, she could draw somewhat - in basic shapes. Her picture was quite simple - Remnant's moon, complete with tiny shattered pieces, along with the images of her two girls standing on a rooftop gazing up at it. From the perspective of the drawing, only Yang's mess of blowing yellow hair and the billowing red cloak Summer had given to Ruby last winter could be seen.

Setting her paper down in her lap, Summer glanced over Ruby's shoulder, finding that the younger girl was rapidly coloring in a huge sun that was shining over what she could only guess must be their house and family. On the other side, Yang was drawing what appeared to be the three of them standing in front of a massive forest.

Leaning her head back against the headboard, she smiled while patiently waiting for her daughters to finish. She would have to admit that this was a much more relaxing way to start the day than the rather rigorous training regimen she normally put herself through.

Both girls ended up finishing their drawings at the same time, each of them holding their papers up - pressing the pages towards her face so that she could see.

"I drew us!" Ruby shouted excitedly, pulling the picture back slightly so that she could point towards the figures.

"See, there's me...Yang...dad...and you!" Ruby grinned up at her, proud of what she had just created. Summer smiled at her in return.

"That's really good, Ruby! Wow, it looks like I've lost a lot of weight."

Ruby giggled, looking at the stick figure she had drawn of her mom.

Summer redirected her attention towards the second picture being presented to her.

"I drew the three of us going on a hunt together!" Yang exclaimed proudly.

This time, Summer's smile felt a little more strained as she admired Yang's drawing. How could she explain to the girl that she never wanted this image to materialize?

True, it would be amazing to fight beside her two daughters, but she would be a bundle of worries the entire time. The mere thought of her precious girls facing a crowd of hungry Beowolves was more than enough to make her skin crawl and her stomach spin. Summer fought so that her daughters _wouldn't_ have to…not so that they could follow in her footsteps.

"That's also very good, Yang," she responded honestly - the drawing was pretty realistic, after all.

"What did you draw?" Ruby asked curiously, picking at the edge of the paper Summer still held face down in her lap.

"Ah..." she replied, lifting the page and spinning it around for them to see. "I drew the two of you and the moon."

Both girls let out soft gasps when they saw the drawing.

"This is so cool!" Yang exclaimed, taking the page from Summer's hands and holding it up to her face for a better view. Ruby nodded her head in agreement as she leaned over Yang's shoulder to see.

Summer chuckled at their reactions. She hoped that they would always "ooh" and "ahh" at the things she did, even when they were older and doing more of the 'cool' things themselves.

"What do you think...put all three on the board?" Summer asked, gesturing towards a large cork board located in one corner of the room. The board and cabinet below it acted as the gathering spot for all of the mementos and memories their family created together. Anything that was important or sentimental could be left there for safekeeping. And every once in a while, Summer would pack up the items and put them up in the attic for safekeeping.

When both girls nodded their heads in agreement, Summer gathered up the three pages and moved to stand from the bed, only for a tiny hand to stop her in her tracks.

"No, I'll do it!" Yang said hastily, grabbing the pages and bolting over to the board. She stood there thoughtfully for several seconds as she picked out the perfect spots for their newest treasures. Finally deciding, she picked up some extra thumbtacks and stuck them through the pieces of paper onto the board. Satisfied with how it looked, Yang ran back to the side of the bed with a smile.

Seeing the expectation upon the young girl's face, Summer realized that they were now in need of another activity. Glancing quickly out the window of the bedroom, she saw that the sun had already made it high into the sky, burning brightly with no clouds in sight. It looked beautiful out - the perfect day to...not be cooped up indoors.

"Why don't we go outside for a bit?" she suggested lightly.

Ruby instantly shot off the bed to stand by her sister's side, facing lighting up with happiness.

Yang got excited as well, but only for an instant before her smile fell into a frown.

"But...you aren't allowed to leave the room..." the blonde replied sadly. Ruby's face also fell when she finally remembered the mission they had been tasked with earlier.

"I can just go sit outside while you both play," Summer responded. "I don't think your father will have any problem with that..."

Ruby and Yang glanced at each other - Ruby with pleading silver eyes, Yang with concerned lilac. After several seconds of silent conversation between the two, they reached a mutual decision.

"Rules are rules," Yang answered solemnly while Ruby gazed longingly out the window.

Summer sighed. She was glad that her daughters had learned to be so responsible...but it certainly was working against her at this moment.

She was very much like her youngest daughter in one regard. She had always had difficulties sitting still...staying inside..._relaxing._ While she watched Ruby bouncing anxiously back and forth on her toes, Summer was following suit in her mind.

But then something sparked in the brunette's mind, causing her to let out a gasp of excitement. Standing on her tiptoes, Ruby whispered hastily into her sister's ear. And from Yang's expression, it was a very good idea.

Receiving a nod of approval, Ruby squealed in joy before turning back to Summer, who had watched the entire interaction with heightened curiosity.

"If we open the window..." Ruby began, pointing towards the large window beside her. "You can sit on the edge of it while we play - you'll be outside, but also still in the room!"

Yang and Ruby both beamed towards her, pleased with having found a solution to their problem.

Summer couldn't help laughing.

Sitting on the windowsill was certainly a more dangerous option than just walking downstairs, but it still allowed the girls to succeed in their mission AND for Summer to get some fresh air.

Taking her laugh as a sign of approval, Yang ran to throw the window open wide. When Summer stood from her bed, stretching her legs when they finally hit the ground, a blur of yellow and red flew out of the room headed downstairs.

Lithely pulling herself up onto the ledge, Summer sat so that her legs were dangling outside, heels tapping the side of the house as she swung her legs contentedly back and forth. The sound of the kitchen door bursting open reached her ears moments later as Yang and Ruby tumbled out into the backyard below. Both girls turned up towards the window and waved happily when they saw her sitting there.

She waved back down to them, then watched as they tore off to play whatever games they were going to create today.

They decided to race each other up the big gnarled tree in the backyard to the 'treehouse' Taiyang had somehow managed to fashion together for them. Yang won, of course, but her longer limbs played a big role in that success. Pretty soon, Ruby would grow big enough to outrace her sister pretty much anywhere. The little speedster was already becoming nearly too fast to catch when racing through the house.

She laughed at their antics while they enjoyed their time outside together.

A burden she hadn't even realized she'd been carrying seemed to lift from her shoulders while she watched the two epitomes of innocence at play.

This is what she fought so hard to protect...these two little creatures who did not yet know what evil truly was. A perfect sun and rose...needing to be sheltered from the dark night and harsh winds of a much crueler world.

They were her light - two bright spots in a world of gray. While her aura could repair all of her wounds if given enough time, nothing could quite heal her soul like watching her daughters joyfully running around the backyard - with not a care in the world.

They were like a breath of fresh air in a stale room...A helpful hand when falling...A warm shoulder while crying...

They lifted her up when she hadn't even realized she'd fallen down.

Maybe this is what Taiyang had meant by rest.

Because yes, she had needed this, after all.


	7. Swept Away

**I love writing about these three so much! Although they seem to alternate between cute and very sad. Here's a cute one though! I hope everyone enjoys!**

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><p>Ruby sprinted down the hallway as fast as humanly possible, hearing the pounding footsteps of her older sister close on her heels. The head start Yang had given her was disappearing by the second. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, her suspicions were confirmed when she found her older sister mere feet behind her.<p>

She shrieked when she realized she was already within Yang's reach, the blonde extending an arm out to grab ahold of her. Cutting quickly into the living room, she suddenly shot forward, _fast_ – much too fast for her to control where she was headed. Losing control, she rocketed into the back of the sofa, flipping forward and landed with a thump on the other side.

"Heyyyy no fair!" Yang complained as she skidded to a stop behind the sofa seconds later. "No semblance use!"

A pout formed on the younger girl's face.

"You know I can't control it, Yang!" she whined, rubbing the elbow she had just knocked against the ground. "It just happens…"

The blonde grinned evilly.

"Well then I can use _my_ semblance too!"

Yang held out one hand menacingly to the side, causing Ruby to back away in alarm.

Her older sister was able to heat up her hand to horribly hot temperatures, but, just like Ruby, Yang still had little to no control over when it actually happened. Once it had happened while the two girls were holding hands, resulting in Ruby nearly needing to go to the hospital for some severe burns. And while Yang would never actually _try_ to hurt her little sister, that didn't stop her from using it as a fear tactic when they were playing games.

Ruby squealed as Yang attempted to skillfully jump over the sofa towards her. The blonde still wasn't tall enough to clear the high back easily, so the act slowed her down enough for Ruby to escape into the kitchen.

That's when Ruby realized her fatal mistake.

The only other exit from the kitchen led outside. And, per the rules Yang had set, setting foot outside counted as an immediate loss. Maybe the older girl set that stipulation with their safety in mind, since their parents probably wouldn't want them running around outdoors when they weren't at home. Or maybe it had something to do with how much quicker Ruby was than her over longer distances.

But now she was trapped…and Yang knew it too.

Turning around, she found her older sister standing in the middle of the doorway blocking her exit. The blonde was now sporting a wide grin, knowing that she had won this round. The only thing separating the two was the large, square island placed in the center of the room, still piled high with the groceries they were supposed to have put away earlier that day.

"So what will it be, Ruby…take the _easy_ way out," Yang nodded her head towards the door behind Ruby. "Or surrender yourself, with honor, to your punishment."

Yang held both hands up in the air, wiggling her fingers to symbolize the endless tickling Ruby was about to endure. She slowly stepped forward, converging on her little sister while trying to leave little room to escape.

Ruby glanced behind her to the door, then back to her sister.

If she had learned one thing so far in her early years of life, it was that her family did not surrender. She refused to go down without a fight.

Yang stopped at the opposite end of the island, both girls staring intently at one another as they waited for the other to make the first move. By now, Yang had realized that she held the superior position if she just stayed put (something easier said than done). If she tried to run around either side of the island to capture Ruby, the brunette would easily be able to sprint around the other side and escape. Time was definitely on the older girl's side.

And so their stalemate began. Ruby knew her only options were to step out the back door and admit defeat, or charge at her sister and hope that she could miraculously dodge Yang's grasp.

Or…were those really her only two options?

She focused her eyes on Yang so as not to give away her plan as it began to formulate in her mind.

In a flash, she grabbed the first thing on the island her hands came across. Yang's eyes widened in surprise when the heavy bag of flour was launched across the kitchen towards her head at incredible speed. As Yang ducked to the side, Ruby raced towards the door as fast as her smaller legs would carry her, trying to use the element of surprise to make a hasty escape.

Fortunately, Yang was able to dodge the speeding projectile, narrowly avoiding five pounds of force slamming into her nose.

Unfortunately, the bag continued soaring through the air and slammed into the wall of the kitchen, bursting into a gigantic cloud of white powder upon impact.

Ruby skidded to a halt near the door, staring in horror as granules of flour continued sifting through the air. Yang slowly turned around, expression matching her little sister's as she took in the mess they had just created.

The wall, countertops, and cabinets near the explosion were covered in white. Mounds of flour littered the floor directly below the wall, as a fine dusting of powder covered at least half of the kitchen floor.

That's when they heard a key slide into the lock on the front door.

They stared at each other in horror, realizing that their mom was going to be walking in the door in any second.

"Ruby!" Yang hissed as she ran to the pantry and pulled out a small kitchen broom and a roll of towels. "Sweep up what's on the floor. Use your semblance!"

The blonde girl tossed the broom to Ruby, who caught it with a frown on her face.

"But Yang…I don't know how!" Ruby whined quietly as she stared down at the broom in her hands.

"You can do it, Ruby! Just hurry; sweep it in there!" Yang gestured towards the open pantry door while she tore paper towels off the roll and began frantically wiping down the surfaces.

Ruby rushed over and began sweeping towards the closet as quickly as she could. She focused on going faster and faster – trying to activate her semblance in any way she knew how – but to no avail.

The front door opened and closed as footsteps entered their home. Ruby felt panic set in as she looked down at the layer of flour still scattered around the floor.

"Hey girls! I'm home!"

Their mom's voice called out for them in the hallway, causing both of them to look at each other in dread before doubling their efforts.

Panic unleashed Ruby's aura and suddenly she was flying across the kitchen floor, broom sweeping back and forth at lightning speed as flour steadily disappeared into the pantry. Yang stopped and stared at her little sister in awe, seeing only a little blur shooting back and forth in front of her.

"Girls?"

Their mom called out once more before footsteps could be heard heading through the living room towards the kitchen.

Yang quickly threw her used towels into the garbage and hopped up onto the island, swinging her legs as she attempted to look inconspicuous. Ruby threw the broom back into the pantry and closed the door before rushing to her sister's side. She wasn't big enough to hop onto the counter without help, so she stood nearby, wringing her hands awkwardly.

Summer Rose appeared in the kitchen doorway the next second, a radiant smile breaking onto her face when she saw them.

"There you two are!" she said, crouching down and opening her arms for Ruby to run into for a big hug. "How are my two favorite girls doing?"

"Good!" Yang replied quickly, voice a little higher than usual.

Their mom looked up with a surprised smile on her face as she released Ruby.

"What did you two do while I was gone?" she asked as she walked over and gave Yang a quick peck on the forehead, brushing the girl's blonde mane gently over her shoulder at the same time.

"Uh…n-nothing!" Ruby exclaimed, voice squeaking as she attempted to lie. Yang sent a little glare her way.

"We were playing tag," Yang answered for them. That wasn't a lie, after all.

For several seconds, their mom looked between the two of them with a raised eyebrow, but eventually turned away.

They both breathed a big sigh of relief. Crisis averted, for now.

"Tag, huh," she commented as she began opening cupboards and putting away the items still sitting on the island.

"We'll do that, mom!" Yang cried out, jumping down from her perch and quickly pulling all of the items that would need to go into the pantry towards her. Ruby nodded her head as she stood by Yang's side.

"Ok…" their mom replied, halting her task, turning back to regard her daughters carefully.

"Hey, what do you think about baking some cookies?" she suddenly suggested.

Ruby lit up in excitement, jumping up and down while Yang nodded her head eagerly.

Summer smiled at both of them, clearly pleased with their enthusiastic response.

"Ok, Yang, sweetie, why don't you go get the sugar and flour from the pantry?" she instructed as she began pulling bowls and mixers from the cupboards.

They froze, looking at each other with wide eyes.

"Uh…" Yang began nervously, "Actually…I don't know if I feel like having cookies right now…"

Their mom turned back to them, eyes wide in surprise.

"You don't want to make cookies?" she asked in dismay. "Ruby? What about you, do you want to make cookies?"

All attention in the room was now directed towards the small brunette, who looked back and forth between her mom and Yang several times. Her silver eyes eventually landed upon Yang, pleading for forgiveness.

"I do…"

Yang sighed as their mom beamed back at them.

"Ok then!" she remarked happily as she walked over and opened the pantry door herself.

They cringed when she looked down at the mound of flour occupying the floor of the small closet. Heads hanging in shame, they prepared themselves for whatever scolding they were about to receive.

"So…how did all this flour get in here?"

Not even looking up, Yang pointed towards Ruby, who pointed towards Yang at the same time.

The sound of laughter rang out through the kitchen. Raising their heads in confusion, they found their mom walking back towards them with a smile on her face.

"Y-you aren't mad?" Ruby asked in a timid voice.

"Oh sweeties," Summer responded as she leaned down and gave each of them a soft kiss on the top of their head. "Of course I'm not angry! Accidents happen all the time."

The young girls looked at each other with matching grins, having avoided getting into trouble once again.

"But let's clean this up the proper way and then see if we have any flour left for cookies," Summer said as she headed back towards the pantry, pulling out a dust pan and a plastic garbage bag to finish the cleanup.

"You should have seen it!" Yang bubbled with excitement as she began retelling their tale. She skipped to a spot by her mom's side, holding the garbage bag while Summer brushed the flour into the pan. "The entire thing exploded in a _huge_ cloud like whoosh!" She raised her hands up in the air to symbolize the cloud of flour spreading throughout the kitchen. "And then, Ruby used her _semblance_ to clean it up really fast!"

Ruby nodded her head rapidly, eager to butt in and tell her part of the story.

"I was moving super super fast! Everything around me was just a blur!"

They took a couple steps backwards when their mom stood up and dropped the rest of the flour into the garbage bag Yang held open for her.

"Sounds like you had quite the afternoon," she replied with a light laugh, receiving two matching grins in return.

"But…how did you know?" Yang asked curiously as she hopped up onto the countertop once more. "We had cleaned it all up…"

"Oh…you know…it's just a mother's sense with these things," Summer replied playfully. She then laid her hand down on the top of Ruby's head and gave the girl's hair a light ruffle, sending a small cloud of white into the air.

"Or, in your rush, you may have forgotten to clean up yourselves too."


	8. Promises

**As I continue my avoidance of my larger story...I have this to post! This was another single word prompt that was given to me, and this is what I came up with. I hope everyone enjoys!**

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><p>Summer pushed open the door to Yang and Ruby's room and slipped noiselessly inside. The two small girls were sound asleep, but that wouldn't keep Summer from waking them, just for a few minutes, tonight.<p>

She had just been called out on a last minute hunt – a large group of Nevermores were laying siege to a small village located just outside Vale's walls. Dispatching the creatures had been made an immediate priority by the city and multiple huntsmen were already on the way.

And, as with every other hunt she had ever gone on, she refused to leave the house without first kissing her daughters goodbye.

Gliding over to Ruby's side, she leaned over and gave the girl a quick peek on the forehead, stirring the young girl from her slumber.

"Mom?" the brunette asked sleepily, silver eyes reflecting moonlight up towards her.

"Shh…go back to sleep, sweetie. I just have to go out for a little bit, but will be back as soon as I can."

Those silver orbs continued to stare up at her, full of concern.

"Promise?"

She sighed, kneeling down on the floor beside Ruby's bed. She hated making promises she was never sure she could keep, especially not to her daughters.

But Ruby always wanted a promise.

"I promise…I'll watch over you from wherever I may be; I'll fight for you with all that's in me; I'll love you for all of eternity.

The young girl smiled up at her, pleased with the same answer Summer always offered her. Giving Ruby another goodbye kiss, Summer then turned to Yang's bed, finding lilac eyes already trained upon her.

"Same goes for you, sweetheart," she whispered softly before giving Yang a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you both," she said as she made her way to the door, already having delayed too long.

"Love you too, Mom," came the chorus of small voices behind her, lending her strength as she flew downstairs and into the cold night air.

Yang slowly, _painstakingly slowly_, pulled the top dresser drawer open, praying that she could open it just enough to slip her hand inside without waking Ruby. Even though they had separate rooms, it seemed as if Ruby had some sort of radar that notified her whenever Yang was trying to sneak out. A few inches further and she exhaled in relief, fishing her hand around the drawer until her fingers curled around two pieces of cool, comforting metal.

Pulling out Ember Cecilia, she placed her gauntlets delicately upon her wrists, the snug feeling of the weapons tightening sent a small shiver of anticipation down her spine. Tonight, she was determined to get answers. Or…at least find more clues.

Grabbing her jacket off of the desk chair, she was two steps from the stairs when she heard it – a small whimper of pain coming from the room to her left – Ruby's room.

The sound froze her in her tracks, threatening to take her heart right out of her chest. She instantly spun around, pain and panic destroying all of the thoughts that had been filling her mind just moments earlier.

Pushing open the bedroom door and dropping her jacket onto the floor, she was kneeling by Ruby's side a second later. Tenderly brushing strands of brunette hair off of her sister's forehead, she discovered that Ruby was warm and clammy to the touch while she twisted and fought against her nightmare.

"Ruby," she whispered, softly at first, attempting to rouse the girl without startling her. The brunette merely whimpered again, a small tear forcing itself from the corner of her eye.

"Ruby!" Yang said louder this time, shaking the girl slightly.

The whimpers cut off as silver orbs came to life, shimmering with unshed tears.

Strong young arms were wrapped around Yang's neck the next instant while Ruby buried her face in Yang's shoulder, lightly sobbing from her nightmare.

"S-she was calling t-to me…s-she n-needed m-my help but…I couldn't f-find her!" Ruby's voice came out muffled, pressed into Yang's shirt.

But Yang didn't need to ask who Ruby was referring to. It was always the same 'she' haunting both of their dreams - but Ruby's much more often as of late.

Running one hand slowly up and down Ruby's back, she waiting for her sister's sobs to quiet and her jagged breathing to even out. She would wait for as long as Ruby needed – her previous plans for the evening completely destroyed and forgotten.

When Ruby's breathing slowed to a comfortable pace, Yang gently held her sister at arm's length, searching deep in those puffy silver eyes for tranquility and acceptance.

Ruby gave her a sheepish smile, a sign that everything was now alright, so Yang pulled her into a tight hug.

"Just a nightmare, Ruby, everything is ok," she whispered. Of course, they both knew that everything wasn't ok, but it felt good to say it anyway.

"Think you can go back to sleep?" she asked once she had released her hold on Ruby. She smiled when she received a small nod in response, finally returning to her feet when Ruby laid back down.

"You aren't going out again…are you?"

The question caught Yang off guard.

"Why do you ask that?"

The brunette pointed towards Yang's wrists, where moonlight glinted off the shiny metal plating of her gauntlets.

"Oh…I was just trying them on…" she answered nonchalantly while pulling them off and tossing them onto the ground with a large thud. She quickly hopped over Ruby, laying down on the other side of the girl's bed.

"I'm not going anywhere," she stated confidently as Ruby turned her soft eyes towards her.

"Promise?"

The question was whispered - as if the weight of the word spoken aloud could crush them.

"I promise," Yang answered, pulling her little sister into a loving embrace, hoping that Ruby's nightmares would be dispelled for the rest of the night.

"I'll watch over you from wherever I may be…I'll fight for you with all that's in me…I'll love you for all of eternity…"

Finishing her trio of promises, Yang closed her eyes, feeling the solitary tear drop onto the pillow beneath her.


	9. Wind and Fire

**This one has been sitting on my computer for awhile now - thought that it was finally time to edit and put it online! Just a little idea I had - I hope it's enjoyable!**

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><p>Summer heard air rushing from her mouth in ragged gasps as she stared down the figure standing in front of her. Clutching her right side in pain, she could feel a warm, sticky substance oozing from a fresh wound, quickly coating her fingers while she tried to stymie the flow.<p>

Her enemy stood there impassively, seemingly unaffected by the battle they had just waged through the forest. The wide trail of burning wreckage left in their wake seemed to be the only evidence that this other figure had just been in any battle, whatsoever. They showed no shortness of breath, no labored movements, no injuries…just searing yellow eyes boring out from behind the skeleton mask covering the entirety of the other huntress' face.

She had seen those eyes before…somewhere…

Straightening her back, Summer let out a small gasp of pain when she felt the true extent of the injury in her side. The amount of blood running through her fingers was surely not a good sign, nor was the fact that her right hand shook when she tried to hold her weapon steady out in front of her.

"The great Summer Rose…"

The voice was like silk, emanating not so much from the figure in front of her, but from the forest surrounding her. It invaded her mind – covering it in a thick fog.

"Are you prepared to die?"

Wincing at the word, she felt adrenaline pump into her veins as every fiber in her essence fought against the notion. She was not ready to die. She had too much to live for – most importantly, two little girls who were counting on her to come home tonight and tuck them in to bed.

"No," she answered firmly, standing back up to her full height - refusing to grimace in pain while she did so. Summoning as much remaining energy as she had to her right hand, she was able to hold her weapon steady in front of her, preparing herself for the next onslaught.

The huntress flashed forward – much too quickly for Summer to even track her movements – landing a kick into the still-open wound in Summer's side before flashing away. The blow sent her crashing back to her knees, wheezing in agony while white dots swam across her vision.

"Are you prepared to die?"

The repeated question reverberated through Summer's mind, forcing her slowly back to her feet.

"_No_," she replied, raising her sword once again. It shook in her hand as she held it, but this time she did not care.

The figure flew towards her once again, katana slicing through the air with deadly speed and accuracy. She managed to deflect the first blow away from her, only to feel her own weapon yanked from her weakening grasp – flying across the forest ground and clattering into a tree trunk some twenty yards away. The cool steel of a blade pressed against her neck, drawing her back to her feet.

Those yellow eyes stared through her, displaying no emotion whatsoever. No thrill or satisfaction in a victory, nothing. They were emptier than any eyes Summer had ever seen before.

"Are you prepared to die?" the huntress asked once more.

Summer felt tears burning as the smiling faces of Yang and Ruby flashed before her eyes.

"Don't worry," the figure said, pressing the blade a little further into Summer's neck, sending her backwards one step to escape the weapon. "We'll make sure they die quickly."

The tears finally began to fall, rolling down her cheeks and onto the cold steel at her neck, while her heart boiled with rage at the threat on her daughters' lives.

"You will _never_ hurt them," she snarled at her opponent. "For they are wind and fire – just when you think you've put out the flames, the wind will reignite the embers. And no matter how high or sturdy you build your walls, the wind will always blow stronger - a firestorm always close behind. You may be able to end my life today, but you will _never_ be able to stop them. And when your entire world has been burned to the ground before your eyes, the wreckage strewn far and wide by an unrelenting force, you will realize the mistake you made in trying to harm either of them."

The figure stared at her, eyes unblinking at the fervor behind her threats.

"We will deal with them when the time comes," the huntress replied flatly. "But now…are you prepared to die?"

Summer spat in the figure's face, earning a growl of displeasure.

"I will never truly die."

The huntress wiped her mask with one hand as she tightened the grip upon her sword.

"We shall see."

* * *

><p>"Summer!"<p>

She woke with a start, clutching instantly at her throat and firmly shoving away the person near her. After a few seconds, she finally began coming back to her senses, noticing the darkened room, the warm covers wrapped around her, the moonlight shining through their bedroom window. Taiyang straightened himself out after her forceful shove, looking at her with eyes full of concern.

"I'm ok," she replied instinctively, finding her voice dry and raspy. "Just a bad dream, that's all."

The look he gave her said the same thing she was thinking to herself.

_Another_ nightmare.

They had been happening too frequently as of late. How many times now had Taiyang woken her like this? Drenched in sweat, covers strewn about from her thrashing, heart beating far too rapidly? He had made a joke about how he was lucky she didn't sleep with her weapon by her side, otherwise she probably would have skewered him several times by now.

The bad dreams weren't just happening more frequently, they also always featured the same evil aura – a skillful huntress with yellow eyes and little emotion. No matter how Summer fought against her, she could not win. The figure seemed to know what moves Summer would make even before she had made them. The battles were always lopsided losses – she could not even injure the other fighter.

"I'm ok, really," she reiterated, not wanting to go into any detail about her most recent defeat just yet.

After Taiyang had studied her for several more minutes, he eventually gave in and laid back down to go back to sleep, leaving Summer to her tormented thoughts.

The dreams were beginning to wear her down, filling her with a sense of foreboding that followed her around like a dark cloud while leaving the taste of regret and defeat fresh in her memory.

She had failed her daughters – or was destined to fail them. And that fact weighed heavily upon her soul.

A thought suddenly forced itself back to the forefront of her mind – one that had been lurking in the shadows for quite some time now - an idea she had never truly wanted to embrace. But her inescapable departure from this world seemed to make it loom as a larger and larger inevitability.

She wouldn't allow her daughters to become victims to the evil spreading into their world. She would not allow those with malicious intent to come anywhere near their beautiful souls.

And if Summer could not be there to keep them safe forever, she would ensure that they could protect themselves. In whatever time she might have left, whether it was five years, a year, a few months, she would mold them into wind and fire – unstoppable forces fighting for good.

"Taiyang…please ask Qrow to come over tomorrow," she whispered softly to her husband, receiving a quiet grunt and no question in response.

Her daughters would not become just another pair of victims. They would not live in fear. They would not be left defenseless.

No…they would become huntsmen.

Starting tomorrow.


	10. One Christmas

**This was such a complete joy to write! :)! Thank you to Mr. Blender for the marvelous idea, as usual. **

**I hope everyone has a great holiday, no matter what you may celebrate (if anything at all)!**

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><p>As the sun disappeared under the horizon, winter announced its presence by sending a chill into the nighttime air. The wind kicked up, nipping harshly at the exposed faces of those who dared to venture out into the cold. Underneath the yellow light of the streetlamps, small flurries were beginning to dust the ground in a pure white hue - just enough powder to cause the ground to become slippery when walked upon.<p>

Of course, the two little girls inside the Rose-Xiao Long household noticed nothing of the happenings outside – being far too engrossed in their current project.

In their living room, situated in one corner right beside the roaring fireplace, stood a pristine evergreen tree, just delivered that evening to their home. Almost eight feet tall and nearly just as wide, it dwarfed the small girls working diligently in front of it.

The cheerful brunette, clearly the younger of the two in both appearance and behavior, was sitting on her knees in front of several stacked boxes of ornaments. A smooth process had been established by now, whereby she would pull one colorful, glass orb from a box, carefully thread a wire hook through the top, then place the finished product atop the growing pile of empty boxes beside her.

Her sister, a charming girl with wavy blonde hair, would collect a finished ornament and rush over to the tree. Circling around its perimeter several times, she would eventually find the perfect place for the prize held within her grasp. Reaching forward, she would delicately hang the end of the wire over her selected branch, giving a soft hum of appreciation when she stood back to admire her work.

Since the blonde could only reach midway up the tree, the top half was currently conspicuously bare of ornaments, but she didn't seem to care.

"Yanggg," the brunette suddenly whined when she spared a moment to glance up at the work her older sister had been doing. "There's too many clumped together right there!"

The blonde's eyes followed the direction her sister pointed in, spotting the three ornaments spaced too closely together. Obediently walking over to that section of the tree, she removed one of the ornaments and moved it several inches away before setting it on another branch.

"How's that?" she asked, turning a pair of caring lilac eyes towards the brunette to gauge her response.

"It's too close to that one over there!"

Yang sighed, but didn't argue, for she knew better than to argue with her little sister's whims. Dutifully removing the defiant ornament, she scanned the branches carefully, searching for a spot that would not be too close to any other ornaments. Several seconds later, she finally found the perfect spot and rehung the decoration.

Dusting her hands off in satisfaction, she turned towards her sister only to find the brunette firmly shaking her head.

"Now there's two of the same color side-by-side!" the smaller girl whined.

"Ruby!" the blonde exclaimed in exasperation, finally reaching the end of her patience. "It's _fine_. They don't have to be perfectly spaced."

To prove her point, Yang picked up another ornament and placed it onto the tree – creating a grouping of three glass orbs of the same color in immediate proximity to each other.

"See?" she said, taking a step backwards to admire her masterpiece. "It looks great!"

But when Yang picked up another ornament, Ruby rushed over and grabbed the decoration from her sister's hands, earning herself a disgruntled yelp of surprise. The brunette then rushed over to the tree, removing several other offending ornaments and re-distributing them to better places.

However, she soon realized that even the new spots she had chosen conflicted in some way with the decorations surrounding them, being either improperly spaced or resulting in poor color combinations.

Quickly giving up, she grasped the glass orbs in her hands, lower lip sticking out in a pout while she watched her older sister place another ornament on the tree.

"If it doesn't look nice, Santa's not going to leave us any presents!" Ruby wailed, voice on the edge of tears in her distress.

Yang let out a little laugh while she continued decorating.

"I think we'll be fine," she replied casually.

But Ruby wasn't ready to have her present count cut in half just because of her older sister's severe lack of decorating skills. When Yang was reaching for another ornament, Ruby yanked the box away from her, holding them hostage behind her while she faced Yang down.

"No!" she said with as much force as a small, tearful child could muster. "I want Santa to like our tree!"

"Who cares what Santa thinks? He's not even real!" Yang shouted back at her, irritated at her little sister's incessant fussing over the decorations.

When the fateful sentence made its appearance, the world around the two girls suddenly ground to a halt. If they had bothered to look outside, they would have even caught a slight pause in the snowflakes drifting steadily towards the ground.

Ruby digested the words slowly, her lower lip beginning to quiver as they began to fully sink in.

"W-what do you mean he doesn't exist?" the brunette whined, silver eyes wide and quickly filling with unshed tears.

She didn't give her older sister the opportunity to respond before she rushed towards the exit, knocking over the remaining boxes of ornaments when she tried to run past them.

"Hey girls, how's the…Ruby? What's wrong?"

The tall, lean woman who had just walked into the room looked down in surprise when Ruby nearly ran into her in her haste to leave.

"Santa's not real?!" the brunette cried tearfully before tearing out of the room and running up the stairs. The sound of a bedroom door slamming moments later caused Yang to noticeably wince.

Focusing her attention on the tree, Yang tried to look anywhere but at her mom, not even glancing over when two steaming cups of hot chocolate were carefully placed on the coffee table beside her.

"Yang…"

The tone made Yang cringe, telling her that she was on the verge of getting into trouble.

"She would have found out eventually!" she sputtered out in her defense while crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest, turning to face her mother with a defiant pout.

Her mother let out a big sigh and crouched down in front of her, lightly grabbing Yang's small hands in order to direct the young girl's attention down to her.

"Sweetie…do you remember how much you used to love Santa Claus?"

The question seemed to confuse the young girl, who had been expecting much more scolding to be happening by now.

"No…" she answered with a frown, knowing it was a lie but not wanting to get into any trouble.

"Oh yes you do," her mother replied with a chuckle at her daughter's stubbornness. "You were the first one downstairs every Christmas morning. You wouldn't let anyone else set out the cookies for him. You even tried to stay awake all night just to catch a glimpse of him."

"But he's not real," the girl replied, not understanding the point her mother was trying to impress upon her.

"I know he's not real, but Ruby believed that he was. Can you imagine how you would have felt if your father or I had just _told_ you that he didn't exist?"

She paused, waiting patiently for Yang to respond.

"I guess…maybe a little upset…" the young blonde meekly replied after several seconds.

"Yes…maybe just a little bit," her mother replied with a smile. She knew that the poor girl would have been crushed to pieces if they had told her, but that was a conversation for much later in life. "So, how do you think Ruby feels right now?"

"Probably…sad…" Yang answered in a whisper, directing her eyes towards the ground as they filled with tears. She let out several sniffles when she finally understood that she should feel sorry for her little sister.

"Oh, don't cry sweetie! It will be ok!" her mother said hastily, pulling Yang into a firm hug as the tears began to spill over. "She's going to be just fine…just like you are. It's just…important to realize some people are different from you. Either they believe differently or they look differently…but just because something is different, doesn't mean it's wrong."

"B-but…I r-ruined Christmas!" Yang stammered out, small sobs beginning to slip out in her distress.

Her mother pulled slightly away and looked up into Yang's shimmering lilac eyes, using one hand to gently wipe away her daughter's tears.

"You didn't ruin Christmas – you can fix this! If anyone can make Ruby feel better, you can."

She gave Yang an encouraging smile, knowing her eldest daughter was very skillful in cheering up her younger sister, no matter the cause of the brunette's sadness.

"Just go apologize, and everything will be ok. I promise."

Yang believed her mother's words, as not one of her promises had been broken yet. So, when led by the hand to the bottom of the staircase, the young girl dried her eyes and took two deep, shaky breaths before padding up the stairs to the bedroom the two sisters shared.

Unbeknownst to the blonde, her mother watched her trek determinately towards her goal with a proud smile on her face, before she returned to the living room to decorate the top half of the tree for her daughters.

Usually when the bedroom door was closed, Yang would just open it without asking…but this circumstance made her feel uncomfortable enough that she hesitantly knocked upon her own bedroom door.

"Leave me alone!" came the immediate response from the room beyond.

Not discouraged, the young blonde cautiously pushed open the door and peeked into the bedroom. Her eyes quickly found her little sister's form, curled up into a small ball upon her bed with her face pressed into a pillow.

"Ruby?" Yang called out softly, gingerly setting foot inside.

"I said go away!" the brunette yelled back at her, voice coming out slightly muffled.

Yang defiantly crept closer, managing to make it close enough to set herself down at the very end of Ruby's bed.

"I'm sorry I ruined Santa for you."

Her words were sincere and her apology genuine.

"So it's true? He's not real?" the poor girl exclaimed, sitting up in her bed to face Yang. She had still been holding onto some hope that maybe her older sister had just been playing some cruel trick on her.

If Yang hadn't already felt guilty, seeing Ruby's tear stained face would certainly have done the trick.

"Not really…" the blonde replied honestly.

"What's even the point of Christmas then?" Ruby wailed, falling back onto her pillow with more tears beginning to emerge.

Yang was unsure what she should say now, but knew that she just wanted Ruby to feel better. She would do anything for her little sister, and never wanted to see the girl cry.

Scooting closer to Ruby, she reached out one hand to gently pat the crying girl's shoulder.

"You see Ruby…" the blonde began, before embarking upon a string of tales so fantastical only a devoted little sister would believe them.

* * *

><p>Two parents turned away from their task of stringing lights around the tree when their small daughters came trotting back down the stairs and skipping into the room – full of their usual cheerful energy.<p>

"Ruby?" the little girls' mother asked, setting down her strand of lights and turning towards the brunette. "Are you ok?"

The girl in question broke into a joyful smile as she picked up an ornament from the box and went to hang it on the tree – this time on the first empty branch she could find.

"Great!" she replied happily, before returning to the box to find her next colorful sphere to hang.

"Really?" her father asked, shocked by how well his youngest daughter was taking the seemingly traumatic news.

"Yup!" the brunette responded with her second ornament now safely dangling from a branch. "Yang told me all about what _really_ happens on Christmas."

Their mother and father glanced quickly at each other, before turning their complete attention back to the brunette.

"And…what exactly did she tell you?" her mother asked hesitantly.

As Ruby continued merrily hanging Christmas ornaments, she told her parents of all the Christmas tales she now knew to be true. Midway through the little girl's rant, their mother gave her husband a stunned expression before she turned in Yang's direction.

The young blonde gave her a radiant smile, beaming with pride over having made her little sister feel better. Their mother couldn't help but give a small laugh when she realized the words currently going through her oldest daughter's head while Ruby continued her enthusiastic chatter.

Just because this is different, doesn't mean it's wrong.

And thus began the traditions of cookie Christmas Eve dinners, wandering stockings, magical tree toppers, and all-powerful Christmas bunnies with tiny, Santa-dressed deliverymen.


End file.
